-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- So we 're at a point in the campaign where health care reform is about to go on trial at the Supreme Court , unemployment remains high and gas prices are skyrocketing .

As for the GOP presidential wannabes , they 're arguing over , um , an Etch A Sketch metaphor bungled by a Mitt Romney staffer . -LRB- `` You can kind of shake it up and we start all over again , '' Romney senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom told CNN this week . -RRB-

Sure , the metaphor has a perfection all its own , given Romney 's penchant for redrawing policy lines . It 's just low-hanging fruit , hard to pass up . But the picture of two `` serious '' presidential candidates wandering the trail with an old-school toy as a prop can lead to only one conclusion : This is getting silly .

The intellectual arguments have been made . The differences have been debated . And the voters are speaking . Sure , they 're conflicted : hard-line conservatives and evangelicals will never love Romney . But Romney has what appears to be an insurmountable delegate lead . He will not sprint across the finish line , to be sure . He will crawl across it . But he will get there nonetheless .

If this were another time , the establishment power brokers would step in with a vision . They would take the candidates aside , give them the big-picture analysis from 30,000 feet and say : `` Unite for the sake of the party . '' Then they would take to the airwaves and offer their full-throated endorsements , turning their attention to seeking the defeat of President Obama . Â

Not happening . Consider this : Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush endorses Romney , but there 's no rally , huge photo op or choreographed endorsement tour . One prominent tea party group says , well , I suppose we can live with Romney if that 's what we have to do . And tea party favorite Sen. Jim DeMint , R-South Carolina , stops short of endorsing Romney but grudgingly allows that `` I think we all need to look at this presidential primary and encourage the candidates to do a little self-reflection here -- what 's good for our country . ''

The moves toward Romney have all of the enthusiasm and passion of an arranged marriage .

So what can be done ? Answer : Not much . The next moves are up to the candidates .

First of all , the old-time power brokers do n't have much to offer anymore . The political power within the GOP has moved away from any organized structure toward two force fields : the populist guy in the street and the rich guys who can write multimillion-dollar checks .

The super PACÂ sugar daddies -- simply by virtue of their money -- are the reason the campaigns continue . What 's the incentive for Newt Gingrich to get out as long as Sheldon Adelson , from his perch in Vegas , is willing to keep paying for his political ads ? The same goes for Foster Friess , Santorum 's man , who gets to dabble in politics from his mountain views in Jackson Hole , Wyoming . I bet these fellows have n't had this much fun in years .

Meantime , the newly populist GOP grass roots wo n't be told what to do anyway . Party organizations ca n't deliver them anymore , and Romney is n't exactly the guy they were wishing for when the tea party came on the scene in 2010 . The establishment is in disrepute as far as they 're concerned ; those are the people who bungled the economy . `` People feel they can make this decision on their own , '' Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole , who has n't yet endorsed , tells me . `` There 's just a lot less party loyalty . ... We are in a period where people are searching . ''

At some point , though , the search has to end . The money men could get tired of writing checks for fewer and fewer delegates . The math may become overpowering . At some point , the voters will get restless .

Yet the final decisions will have to come from the men running . Granted , Gingrich and Santorum do n't like Romney much -- and the longer they run against him , the less they like him . And often with good reason .

But here 's the final consideration : `` You do n't want the blame for losing , '' Cole says . `` It 's one thing to fight the good fight . ... But look at Romney in 2008 . He knew when to get out . ''

Yes he did . Romney knew how to end it the right way in 2008 . After Super Tuesday , he saw the handwriting on the wall and embraced John McCain . And there 's a lesson in that : Parties reward the winners , sure . But voters like good losers , too . Knowing how to lose is the hardest part of running .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gloria Borger .

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Borger : GOP candidates are wandering campaign trail with Etch A Sketch toys

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She says neither Gingrich nor Santorum can win , so why continue ?

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In 2008 , Romney knew to get out after `` he saw the handwriting on the wall , '' she says

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Borger : Santorum , Gingrich can prolong the race , but would they be blamed for a GOP loss ?